O' Brother where art Thou?
by CYLUOS
Summary: Teira wanted nothing more than to be a Guardian, just like her brother had once been. And, through a series of fortunate-or unfortunate- events, she would get exactly what she would wish for. (Rewrite of In His Footsteps)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So get this: Thursday, October 15th, was the one-year anniversary of In His Footsteps! Could you imagine?**

 **Anyway, so here is chapter one of the rewrite. I'm hoping that not much of the storyline itself will change but I have a few events and details that I want to add, as well as some minor changes, and more character development with some people. As such, I have an announcement.**

 **If you have an OC in this story, I need you to send me an updated bio of your character by 10/23/2015. If you fail to send me one, then I'll either have to open requests for OCs again to replace your character, or I'll just have to assume what I can about them and just kinda go from there. The updated bios should include: Race, Gender, Class, Subclass, Armor, Weapons, Personality, Likes, Dislikes, and any other odd quirks about them that I might need to know. If you have questions, either PM me or contact me on my Tumblr or Deviantart (the-queen-of-kingss and RaNdOmCaT927, respectively)**

 _"...Ahh, there we go. Now it works! Today is April 17th, time is 3:48pm although you can't really tell here. And this is Log number one."_

Dark green eyes set on a tanned face topped with brown hair brightened in a smile as a man leaned forward toward the screen. _"Hey lil' sis. A little birdie told me that you missed your older bubby. Thought I'd start making these so that you'll never forget me. So uh... Things here are going nicely. Kinda boring, but when you're out here as long as I have been, you learn that boring is good. Boring is... well it's safe..."_ He glanced off to the side as another male voice spoke, the words muddled from the distance. _"Anyway, I won't have very long to do this but I promise you'll hear from me again soon baby sister."_

 _"April 23rd, time, 8:45am. Morning Teira! I've got some news for ya. I've been told by the Vanguard that my name is on a list of candidates to go on a really important mission! Pray with mom that I'm chosen, alright? I'll let you know who was picked next time! Keep your fingers crossed!"_

A few clicks sounded off in the darkness as the video disappeared from the screen and another one came up.

 _"Date is April 29th, 7:52pm. Hey Teira! Looks like those prayers worked! Cayde's letting me go with a couple of the guys for a mission out in the Old Russian zone! I'll finally get to see some real Guardians in action! I'm really excited, but don't tell mom that I am. Don't want her freaking out again... Anyway, we're getting ready to shove off so I'll tell you how it goes when we get back, okay? I need to get my gear ready before Richard chews me out again. See you again soon!"_

Another flash lighted in the room, but lighter sage eyes didn't even flinch. A young girl brushed some orange hued hair out of her eyes as the next video played.

 _"Date, May 12th, time, 9:48am. Hey, Teira... So uh, the mission was uh... well it was..."_ The man ran his hand through his brown hair. He looked exhausted. _"We lost Richard. The Awoken dude with the blonde hair, always yelling at me? Yeah..."_ There was a long pause and he sighted _. "Took a Fallen rifle shot to protect me, of all people. I shouldn't have been out in the open but... we won regardless. Cayde tells me it's not my fault, that Rich would be proud but..."_ He sighed again, covering his eyes with his hand for a moment as he composed himself. Teira watched the screen, eyes sympathetic, even if she'd seen the video several times before. Her brother looked back to her on the screen, eyes pained.

 _"I learned a lot of stuff out there, but the thing I'll remember most, is that Guardians are not as immortal as we're made to seem. Guardians... Guardians aren't invincible."_

"Teira, you really should stop watching those. You'll never learn to let go if you keep replaying them."

"He made these so I wouldn't forget him. He wants me to watch these." Came the reply just seconds before the lights to the room flicked on, making the red-haired girl squint and grimace. In the doorway, an older woman stood, with red-brown hair that donned a few grey strands here and there and it was set over a pair of dark green eyes that looked fond but tired as she gazed at her daughter.

Teira sat up on her bed to sit with her legs crossed. The little computer-like device sat dormant on her bed as it waited to serve by playing the next video. The teenage girl brushed some hair out of her eyes and frowned at her mother's chiding look.

"Teira it's been four years. I've been able to move on, so why can't you?"

Teira looked over to a display case that housed a long white and gold Hunter Cape. Leader of the Pack, if she remembered correctly. It had once belonged to her brother before his death. He had been right. Guardians were not invincible. She realized this personally at the age of twelve, when two other Guardians came to their home with news of her brother's death. All that remained of him was his cloak and his weapons. She vividly remembered an Exo named Shockwave-3, he was a Titan. And there was also the beautiful Allisia, an Awoken warlock. Teira had gotten to know both of them well while they served with Brandon. They had stayed for dinner that evening and she learned that Allisia was going to get married to Brandon after all of this was over, when they had some peace. The woman had burst into tears along with Elizabeth, Teira's mother, as she spoke of what she had hoped she would have.

Of course, Teira had locked herself into her room long since before then. She didn't want to hear it. All she needed to know was that her brother was dead.

While she was lost in thought, Elizabeth scanned the room. It was fairly bland. Teira wasn't the girliest of girls. She was a hard worker and had little time for friends. The walls were a dull beige color with some blue curtains over the windows. A few bookshelves sat around and her bed was simply white blankets with a small amount of gold patterns to them at the ends, just for the sake of not being _too_ bland.

Then, as her eyes drifted to a small desk in the corner, she noted a book laying open on it. Teira was usually good about marking her place and putting the books away when she wasn't reading them, and so this fact brought some curiosity to the mother. Elizabeth strode across the room and lifted the open book. It was a book on guardians, what they did, how they supposedly acted. Her green eyes shifted to her daughter.

"You're reading this book _again?_ " She chided, a scowl on her face.

"It pays to be prepared in case I encounter a Guardian, mom." Teira shrugged. "Besides, it would be useful knowledge to have in case I'm chosen to be a guardian too."

This fact made Elizabeth slam the book on the desk once more, causing Teira to jump slightly and turn her eyes up to her angered mother.

"Teira I don't suppose this book tells you that you have to _die_ in order to become a guardian, does it?"

The girl shifted, apparently this was news to her. "Well... it said that Guardians can be chosen from people who are alive too, it's just really rare for that to happen. I kinda thought-"

"That the circumstances would be just right for you? I don't think so, Teira. It's not a dream I'm entirely comfortable with you chasing."

"Why? Is it because of Brandon?"

The sourness in her voice made her mother flinch and glare down at her daughter. "We were considered lucky that Brandon was revived at his age. And he died in a very dangerous condition, so yes. It _is_ because of Brandon." There was a pause as the girl's mother sighed, placing a hand over her face with the other rested on her elbow for support. "...You are all I have left, Teira. I can't bear the thought of losing you once, let alone twice like I did with your brother."

The statement made Teira cast her eyes downward. A sudden surge of regret flowed through the young girl as her anger vanished. "Mom... I... I never thought about it like that."

"I know sweetie. Your brother was an amazing boy, and an even better Guardian. I'm not shocked that you want to be like him when you get older. I just want you to think realistically here."

Teira gave a sigh, and then blew some hair away from her face. "...Alright mom, I'll try. Do you need any help in the bakery tomorrow?"

"Oh, I think I could use some extra hands. I might even throw in a few extra treats if there's some left over tomorrow night." Elizabeth's eyes softened as she combed a thin hand through her daughter's bright orange hair. "Get to bed sweetie. I'll wake you in the morning."

"Yes mom." Was the response when her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead before turning to exit. As her mother moved away, the teenage girl settled into her blankets before her lights were turned out by her mother, and the door creaked to a close.

She waited for a few moments, then, eyes staring up at the ceiling in silence. And when she heard the door to her mother's bedroom close, she sat up and crawled to the end of her bed where the desk sat and flipped on a low-light lamp that illuminated the open book on her desk. History of the Golden Age, was the title of it. She didn't much care for the Author's name.

It was an old book, more than half of it described the world prior to the Collapse and it had sounded unreal. How humans inhabited the entire Earth, technology advanced tenfold since the discovery of the Traveler. It described how the Awoken were created, and how the first Guardians came to be.

It was a gift from Brandon during his first year of being a Guardian. He'd been a hunter, Blade-dancer subclass. He always loved the arc abilities. Cayde-6 had been his personal mentor for a little while, especially since Brandon was so young. He'd only been in his mid-teens when he was revived a few years after his death when some Fallen broke into the City. They'd been playing near the wall when it happened and Brandon had stayed back to distract the aliens while everyone else got away. He had been the only casualty and there would have been more had he not stepped in when he did.

It was needless to say that when he was revived, their mother had never been so happy. Teira had been happy too, but she'd been so young, it was almost like her brother had never been gone. She couldn't remember those days. She did remember the day that she lost him, though.

Slowly, a hand reached up and closed the book with a gentle thunk before she crawled back into bed and rested her head on the pillow. She drew the covers up to her shoulders and rolled over on her side, a hand resting up underneath the pillow. She may not have remembered the days when her brother died for the first time, but the hollowness of his going missing still echoed in her heart. Her best friend, her brother may never be seen again.

Green eyes closed slowly, letting sleep claim them. The video logs were all she had left of her brother. He'd been missing for quite a long time now, but never pronounced dead, although everyone assumed he was. Teira didn't believe them. In the back of her mind, she felt that her brother was out there. Or, that's what she wanted to believe at least.

She didn't dwell on the thoughts for long. Sleep claimed her mind and she sank into a dark, dreamless sleep.

::::::::::

"Teira, are you sure you don't want me to get up there and get it?"

"Yep, I'm good!"

A hand covered in brown leather gripped the rock as a small female figure pulled herself onto a small ledge just large enough to hold her body. Her unhelmeted head turned to look down at the titan standing below and she flashed a smile as the light wind buffeted her red-orange hair. Her armor that she borrowed was that of a hunter's beginning armor, dyed and painted to where it didn't really resemble the class in color, however. It was mostly just brown with a few black leather spots. However, the most interesting thing about her gear was her cloak. White with gold lining and the symbol of a wolf head in the middle, shining golden in the sunlight.

The titan below crossed his arms. His armor was colored orange and a rusty brown color. He was an exo, but his helmet covered that fact. Underneath the rust-colored helmet was a red-plated face with some black stripes coming down from the top of his head to stop just above where his 'mouth' would be. His eyes glowed red as well, and his mouth light was white. His boots scuffed the ground, moving a bit of snow in an idle and bored fashion.

"It would have been faster if you'd let me get it for you." He huffed, then shrugged. "But no, you have to always let your stubborn ego get in the way."

"Seraph we've been doing this for how long again?"

"Three years, five months, eight days, sixteen hours-." Came the annoyed reply.

"Okay I get it." Teira interrupted, casting an equally annoyed scowl at her friend before she turned and began to climb up the rocks again. "Stupid exos."

"I heard that, flesh-bag." Seraph taunted, chuckling when she reashed around with a hand and gave him the middle finger. "You know, if you fall, I can't promise that I'll be fast enough to catch you. Which means you'll go splat, just like every other human."

"Whatever Seraph. I'll just make sure I don't fall."

The titan gave a sigh, shaking his head. Teira was only nineteen years old and somehow he'd gotten roped into taking her out here every other day or so. He remembered watching her shortly after he was brought back from... well he couldn't remember where, but the first thing he saw was a small teenage girl attempting to sneak into the Tower with a box full of engrams with the intention to decrypt or sell them. He'd tried to detain her and he still carried the dent in his chest from where she hit him that day. She was a fighter, and she'd make a damn good guardian too. Perhaps even be strong enough to be a titan, with the left hook she could throw.

He kept watch, normally. Exploring the Earth outside the city was dangerous. Not for him, no. He knew how to handle himself against all sorts of enemies. Teira however, was just a teenage girl, just over nineteen years old and already full of surprises. In the few years he'd known her, they'd become pretty close friends. She lived alone with her mother, as they depended on one another for a steady income to pay rent for their apartment as well as food and other things they'd needed.

Elizabeth Reynolds, Teira's mother, ran a bakery within the city. She was pretty popular for it and even if he couldn't eat what the woman made, he could tell that the others really enjoyed her cooking. If Teira wasn't helping her mother there, she was out roaming the cosmodrome with her exo friend. The loot she brought in sold fairly well to the cryptarch and certainly helped keep her little family afloat when it came to finances. Of course, Seraph himself had more glimmer than he knew what to do with, so sometimes he helped pay off some of their bills.

A sound from above him made the titan look up, being broken from his thoughts, and he watched as Teira finally made it to the ledge that held a silver chest. Loot chests were her favorite because they always held pretty good loot. There was a small ching sound and a pale blue light as the chest was opened. A moment later, two green engrams were tossed over the edge, both of which were caught by the waiting exo, then stuffed into a bag that hung from his shoulder.

"That makes four today." He grunted as her face appeared over the ledge. "Not bad, if I do say so myself."

"You know we could probably stay out a little longer..." Teira began as she started to make her way back down the rock wall.

"Your mother would have my head if we stayed out past dusk, Teira." Seraph replied, keeping a watchful eye on the teenager's movements as she climbed down. "You know how she feels about you staying out late. Especially since the Fallen can see pretty damn well in the dark and we can't. The risk of being attacked is multiplied ten-fold and-"

"Okay Seraph I get it!" Teira interrupted, laughing a bit as she tested a small spot on the wall to place her foot. "I'll ask my mom about it tonight during dinner, see if she'll let us stay out a bit longer."

Seraph couldn't help but roll his eyes, watching as she only had about nine feet to go. She continued to speak, her voice amused and light-as it had always been.

"Besides, as long as I'm with you, everything will be okay, right?"

Seraph would have answered her, if not for the rock giving a bit under her foot. There was a yelp as the girl lost her grip and fell away from the wall. The titan moved quickly and caught her before she could hit the ground and she blinked up at him, a little stunned but otherwise okay. She was soon set on her own two feet and she dusted off her arms before she held up her prize: A pair of gloves and a common hand cannon. She smiled brightly up at her friend before stuffing them into his bag.

"Those should sell pretty good." She commented before putting her hands in the pockets of her pants.

Seraph gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Teira, one of these days you're going to get into a situation without me. What will you do then, hm?"

"Punch everything in sight like you always do." That earned a huff. "Just like you taught me."

"You have a lot to learn, Kiddo." He chuckled. "But come on, it's getting late, and your mother will start to worry if you're not home in ten minutes."

Teira gave a sigh, tipping her head back as her shoulders slumped. "We can't even stay to watch the sunset?" Already the sky was beginning to turn various shades of orange and pink. The sunsets in the cosmodrome were always her favorite. The Traveler often blocked most of what she would be able to see around the mountains that surrounded the Last City. The question earned a sigh from Seraph, apparently he was disappointed about leaving early today too.

"Unfortunately, I promised your mother that I would have you back home before dusk, which would mean we have to leave now in order to make it on time. Perhaps another time, Teira."

The girl gave a sigh. "Alright. Although... I wonder what a sunset would look like from the Tower..." She trailed off, giving a hopeful smile to her friend, who laughed and shook his head.

"Teira you know I can't take you up there yet. It's pretty much a Guardians only zone unless you work up there. I'd get into quite a bit of trouble." He paused then, thinking. "And your mother would ground you for a month if she found out that I took you up there."

Teira grimaced. "You make a good point. Alright, well call in your ship then. Lets get going, I want to get these engrams turned in as soon as possible."

Seraph gave a chuckle at that, watching his ghost appear at his shoulder as it summoned his ship. It alerted him of the arrival that would happen in a couple minutes through their mental link and Seraph gave a nod in response to it. "The ship will arrive in just a moment. You may as well enjoy what bit of the sunset that you can while you wait."

Teira rolled her eyes at that, smirking slightly. "Yeah I may as well." She replied, moving to sit over on a nearby rock that had a good view of the sun as it began to dip behind the horizon of a nearby ocean, or large lake perhaps. She'd never ventured out that far, but perhaps one day she would. There was an entire planet just waiting for her to explore, after all! She made up her mind as the sun continued to sink behind the rippling water. She would explore as much as she could, find new adventures like Brandon had before he went missing. She wondered what sort of excitement she could find out there, and what sorts of rare loot could she find?

All she had to do was get started, and she couldn't wait to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**[Hi everybody! I'm not dead! I'm really sorry for the huge delay in the chapter, between not having much inspiration to write it and just general life, I didn't get to work on it all that much. In other news, I landed myself a good job working at a local McDonalds (yay) and I'm considering actually getting my own place sometime by the end of this year. So, to make up for the delay, I've got a nice long chapter for you guys. Feel free to point out any spelling mistakes if you catch them and you can even compare it to the older version if you like. It's 5,000+ words so go nuts lol**

 **Anyway, I hope the next chapter won't have such a long wait, but as of right now I can't promise much, but I do promise to try harder to get the chapters out sooner. Thank you all for being patient, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!]**

"Yes, well, I can't just up and leave Teira on a whim like that, Caitlyn."

"The trip isn't being launched for another three months, Liz. I'm sure that's plenty of time for you and your daughter to sort things out and prepare."

Elizabeth Reynolds gave a sigh as she carried a pot of boiling spaghetti noodles to the sink to drain them. Her brown hair was tied back into a tight bun to keep from getting hair in the food while she cooked. Teira was out with Seraph again, but was due home any minute now. In fact her daughter had been going out much more often lately, and the woman could only be a little bit jealous when her daughter got to enjoy the weather, when it was nice. But she had her own duties to attend to in the city.

Like... making dinner, and... baking bread.

"I'm just not sure if I'm comfortable with leaving her alone..."

"Come now, Liz. Teira's a grown young lady, even though she may not act like it all the time..."

Elizabeth groaned and rolled her eyes. "I know, but you wouldn't know what I'm going through right now with your request. You don't have any kids of your own."

"No, I don't have any kids. Unlike you, I don't like the idea of settling down and living the quiet life. You of all people should know well that I love my job too much to sit with a bunch of whiny snot-nosed brats."

The mother sighed and shook her head with a smile. "You're all heart, Lyn." She muttered as a cloud of steam rose up into her face as she drained the noodles. Once that was done, she carried the pot back to her oven and then turned to a hologram of an older woman with greying hair, and one blind eye. As usual, she was dressed in a well-kept outfit and looked more like a business woman than a scientist. "I'll talk to Teira over dinner tonight and get her opinion on it. That's the best I can offer right now. If she's alright with staying by herself for a little while, I'll contact you. Until then, I ask that you don't pester me about it."

Caitlyn gave a snort. "Very well. Tell the brat that she has my greetings."

Elizabeth gave a nod, and the blue hologram vanished as the transmission was ended. The pot of noodles was set next to a pot of red sauce. Not a second later, the sound of the front door opening reached her ears and she reached up to undo her hair as she exited the kitchen to see her daughter placing her helmet on a rack. The Exo titan that followed the girl inside had his helmet tucked under an arm and his other hand held a black bag that was no doubt full of the loot that the two had gathered this day.

"Well well, look who decided to finally return home."

Teira looked up at the voice, and cracked a sheepish smile as Seraph walked forward. The Exo gave an amused huff and patted Teira's shoulder.

"She insisted that she wanted to watch the sunset this evening." He informed, earning a tiny smile from the mother as she folded her arms.

"Right, well. You're just in time. Supper is finished. I'm going to go wash up." She turned, then paused, remembering something it seemed. "Oh! I just remembered, there's supposed to be a pretty bad storm coming in tonight Seraph. You're more than welcome to stay with us tonight until it passes."

"If it gets bad enough, then I will take you up on that offer, Mrs. Reynolds." Seraph replied, holding up a hand in dismissal. "However, I have quite a few engrams waiting to be decrypted by Rahool up in the Tower. Once that is done, I'll return with the loot they will bring."

"Ah, very well then."

As Elizabeth rounded the corner of the room and vanished into the hallway to the back right side of the living room, Teira looked up at Seraph with a bright smile. "Do you think the engrams will bring us any good loot this time?"

That earned a loud laugh. "Teira, this is Rahool we're talking about. Probably about one in three-hundred guardians are ever happy with the loot that he gives them even from legendary and exotic engrams." He chuckled before ruffling her hair slightly. "But we can always hope. Now, I should go before the storm arrives and the trams shut down. I'll be back soon. Enjoy your dinner, kiddo."

"Alright Seraph, see you later." Came the reply as the towering exo turned and left the apartment.

When the door closed, Teira set her things in a rocking chair to wait for her to move them to her room, but that wasn't the first thing on her mind as her stomach growled. She could smell the food very well. Almost too well, and it reminded her of how hungry the days' adventures had made her. So, the teen strode quickly into the kitchen and smiled. Spaghetti, one of her favorites. And no mushrooms, just how she liked it.

Humming quietly to herself, Teira moved to the kitchen sink to wash her hands before she went to handle the kitchen equipment. Once her hands were dry, she grabbed a plate and piled the noodles and sauce onto it before setting it to the side on a counter. She stopped humming to herself as she rummaged around various cabinets in search of something.

"Looking for this?"

Teira turned to see her mother standing by the oven holding a cannister of Parmesan Cheese. The girl laughed a little and walked over to take the container with a "Thanks mom." before she sprinkled it over her food and then moved to sit at the table while her mother fixed herself a plate as well.

"So how were your adventures today?" Her mother asked as she piled the noodles onto her plate.

Teira gave a small and thoughtful hum. "It was okay I guess. We didn't find as much raw loot as before. Mostly engrams." The girl replied, then stuffed some noodles into her mouth with her fork just as her mother sat down.

"That's unfortunate. Maybe tomorrow will be better." She mused, looking a little uninterested. She'd never liked the idea of Teira leaving the City, but as long as Seraph was with her, then her daughter would be safe from danger. "...I got a call from one of my old coworkers today. From Lyn."

That peaked the teen's attention. "The old hag you used to work with on the Moon? The one who looks like someone peed in her oatmeal?"

"Teira!" Her mother scolded, but was still smiling. "...Yes that is her. She called me today and asked me to join her on a voyage. They found something important and apparently need me there in about three months or so."

"So, you're going?" Teira asked around a mouthful of noodles and sauce.

"If you think you can keep from burning the apartment to a crisp while I'm gone, yes." Came the answer after she neatly took a bite of her own food. Teira gave her mother a look at that, seemingly unimpressed.

"Mom, I'm nineteen. I'm pretty sure I can live on my own here for a little while."

"...I'm still going to have Seraph stay here with you. That's my only request other than not burning the place down."

A set of green eyes rolled in annoyance, but the smile was unmistakable. "Alright, mom. I'll agree to your terms." She agreed moments before stuffing more of the noodles into her mouth and eating quickly.

Her mother simply shook her head, a smile on her features before eating her own food. Teira always tended to finish eating before her and often spent her evenings in her room, planning on what route that she and Seraph would take the next time they scavenged together. This night was no different. Seraph returned before Elizabeth had even finished her meal and Teira pulled him to her bedroom, going on about tomorrow's plans and adventures like she usually did.

The map that hung up on the wall was marked with different colors, markers that could have the ink removed and replaced. Most of the areas were marked in red, and Teira held a blue marker in her hand as she stared thoughtfully at the map. It was a map of the Cosmodrome, provided by Seraph of course. Red was scribbled over the Mothyards, Sky Watch, and the Divide. Another area, close to the center of the map was marked in black with lines crossed diagonally through it. The Devils Lair, Seraph called it. Totally off limits for their little patrols for loot, and for good reason most likely.

"We haven't been through King's Watch in almost a month..." She mused to herself quietly. "I think that should be our next area for tomorrow."

To that, the exo titan gave a grunt, acknowledging her words while his red optics flicked over to her from the data pad in his hand. "Lots of buildings for loot to be hidden. It has the potential for good loot drops."

"Good enough for a few legendary engrams?" Teira replied, a smile coming to her lips as she continued to stare at the map. Her question earned a laugh from her friend.

"Maybe, I wouldn't count on it though." Was said before he stood from the chair he sat in. He set the data pad on a nearby desk before approaching the girl. "So, I hear your mother is going on a trip?"

"In three months or so, yeah. She was called by some old coworkers to the moon for some reason. She said it shouldn't take more than a week for her to get there and come back." Came a rather dismissive answer and an even more dismissive wave of a hand.

"The moon is infested with Hive and the House of Exile, I'd say it'll be a little more than dangerous..."

"There's a six-man fireteam going too, to make sure everything goes smoothly. Besides, my mom isn't without knowledge of how to use a gun. It's just been a while."

That brought a thoughtful hum from Seraph. "As long as she knows what she's doing. I'm to stay with you while she's gone, yeah?"

A nod made her red hair bounce a little. "Yeah, you'll just be here a little more often is all. Hopefully it's not an inconvenience." She finished, finally looking at him with a teasing smile. She knew it wasn't going to be a problem for the exo. He liked spending time adventuring with her anyway. If anything, the absence of her mother's nagging would be a relief for the both of them.

A long moment went by, just staring at the map. Teira wanted to go through King's Watch. Normally this was fine with Seraph, the King's in that area weren't really much tougher than the Devils they'd encounter. He was confident that he could still protect her. What was even better was that the Hive didn't usually reside in the area.

Then a hand was placed on her shoulder followed by a "Time for bed, kiddo." Teira gave a heavy sigh, but knew that if she refused, her friend could always threaten to just not take her out the next day.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning Seraph." She said as the titan moved away to her door. He gave one last look in her direction and she smiled and waved with a last "Goodnight." before her door closed behind him.

Before she went to bed, though, Teira gave one last look at the map before her. Tacked to the wall and covered in marker that she would wipe off every Sunday. King's Watch was the northern-most section of the Cosmodrome. And the House of Kings were as secretive as they were powerful. They would have to be careful tomorrow. But having Seraph by her side made her feel better. He was a strong Guardian. She would get through the day.

So with that in mind, she turned away and moved to her bed on the other side of the room where the cozy blankets waited for her. She was looking forward to what tomorrow held in store. And with thoughts of that in her mind, she was quick to fall asleep, eager to start the next day.

/

"Man the Fallen have some pretty good views out here. I bet the sunsets on the ocean are beautiful..."

Seraph couldn't help but laugh at the observation from the human girl. It was quite true that there were some really nice sights out of the city. The view of the ocean from on top of the old broken highway was definitely one worth remembering. The morning had been pretty uneventful. They'd left as they usually did, bidding a goodbye to Elizabeth after Teira had something to eat. They always took his ship to what was deemed as the 'Tower's backyard', and today they'd spend their time exploring King's Watch.

He kept himself on guard as Teira took in the view for another moment, and when she turned to walk further up the broken road, he followed, shotgun in hand. He'd given her her own gun to use, just in case they were a little overwhelmed. It was just a hand cannon, though. Something small and light enough for her to use. And in their time out in the field together, she'd become quite talented with it.

"The entrance to King's Watch is just ahead. Should be some good loot in the buildings." That earned a nod as they walked along the road some more, slowly approaching an overhang as they came around the bend. And they were both silent until they reached it, and Teira decided to speak.

"So how many Fallen are usually in there?" Came her inquiry as she turned her helmeted head to Seraph.

"A couple small squads at most," He replied almost instantly, "Nothing I can't handle, that's for sure."

"Okay, well whatever the amount, there's got to be plenty of loot in there if the Fallen reside there. I just wish we could get closer to their lair. I bet they'd have all sorts of neat valuables there."

Seraph couldn't help but glance at her. "You want to raid a Fallen lair? That's a little ambitious, even for you, Teira. Not to mention dangerous. Pulling off a raid on a Fallen lair would be borderline insane."

She had little resistance against the wide smile that graced her features, even though it was hidden under her mask. "Well it wouldn't be fun otherwise, right?"

The titan replied with a grunt as they approached the nearby building complex, however Seraph came to a stop suddenly, holding a hand to stop Teira as well. The girl looked at him, then to the building, and back to him in confusion. She kept a hand over her gun in alarm as he made his way to the entrance and placed a hand on the outside wall. Under his fingers was a large scorch mark and she watched Seraph scrape some residue off and examine it.

"...This is fairly recent." He observed, letting his hand fall to his side before turning his head to Teira. "There might be other guardians in the complex."

A groan left the girl as her shoulders slumped. "Does that mean they're looting too?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, but most guardians are too busy doing other things to worry about looting. If anything, someone's probably here to wipe out some Fallen." Teira shifted on her feet a little at that, but said nothing. The Fallen were the aliens that drove her kind behind the walls that surrounded the City. They were the enemy and were to be shown no mercy, or so she was told. She didn't like killing things really, but to defend herself... Well, sometimes she had no choice.

"Well if they're guardians, then we should have nothing to worry about, right? Since they're our allies?"

"Yes, that is true. We should still keep an eye out for them, though. If they're getting trigger happy then there's no telling what could happen to you. Just stay behind me from now on and we'll be fine."

She replied with a curt nod, and with a nod of his own, Seraph turned and walked into the shade that the building created with Teira lingering in his footsteps, her own gun at the ready. The ruins themselves were always just that. Ruined. Sometimes she wondered what they would have looked like before the Collapse. Shiny buildings that looked neat, pristine almost and well... not crumbling to pieces.

And as she strode in, Seraph by her side, she turned her head to him.

"I hope we find something interesting today."

/

One warlock. That was all it took to wipe out most of his team. Of course, most guardians would just run past, killing any who stood in their way, but this one. No. This one came with the intent to take lives. His team had consisted of himself, three Vandals, and six Dregs. Now all that stood was himself and two of the dregs.

Two shots and a screech. Make that himself and one dreg.

Said survivor was young, having just recently been recruited into his team. She was smart to take cover nearby him behind a wall and his eyes connected with hers for a second. She was afraid. At one point in his life, he had been afraid too. But he'd seen too much death to be afraid now. He had to be brave for his troops, otherwise they would too easily back out and even more would die under his watch. He'd already lost half his squad a few months ago due to a Hive ambush. And now to a damned guardian.

Speaking of, he noted for a moment that the gunfire and movement had stopped. Perhaps it got bored and decided to move on, maybe to torture some Devils or something. And it seemed the dreg nearby was thinking the same thing. He could tell she was fairly intelligent for someone as young as her, and she reluctantly turned her head around the corner of her cover. A second ticked by, but it felt like an eternity. Then there was a shot that rattled his mind, and the next thing he knew, the dreg's blood came spilling onto the floor, mixed with what little Ether she was allowed to consume that came hissing from the tubes in her light armor.

His entire squad was dead, and he heard the warlock's menacing laughter as it reloaded its gun.

"Come on out, Captain. You have no more bodies to hide behind." He couldn't understand most of its words, but he knew that tone. It was taunting him. That earned an irritated hiss as he checked his own gun's charge. Less than half. It would have to be enough.

He heard a whooshing sound, followed by more laughter. That was when he turned to look around his cover and he saw-

nothing.

For a second, he was confused, glancing around and slowly coming out from behind the wall he was hidden behind. His eyes scanned the room thoroughly. There were many objects that could have easily hidden the guardian, he had to be cautious. Of course, this was the only reason he'd made it to this rank. He was naturally cautious, slow, and he gave himself time to think about his actions. However when it came to fighting, he was among the best of the best. Certainly not a force to be trifled with, that was for sure.

There was a mind-numbing silence as he stepped through the room, scanning and taking deep breaths of Ether. Surely after all that death, the guardian wouldn't just leave? He didn't hear any breathing, and the scent still lingered as far as he could tell over the scent of gunpowder and blood. Namely the blood of his former comrades, and he regretted that he had to step over their bodies to continue his search. He would have to mourn for them later.

Granted there even was a 'later' that he could look forward to.

So distracted in his thoughts, he nearly jumped out of his boots when he stepped into a puddle of somewhat murky water. He looked down at it, mind reeling for a moment. However there was something amiss, in the rafters of the room, in the celing there was.. shifting, growling almost. More movement, quicker and he whipped around just in time to see the warlock drop down, almost right on top of him.

He had very little time to bring out his gun, and there was a blast of purple energy that came crashing into him, making him stumble back a few steps. It left a dark scorch mark on his chest armor and took out a good portion of his shields, but it didn't do much more than that. Still, it left him in a bit of a daze and he blindly swung a fist at the warlock, which was easily evaded and then the back end of the warlock's gun was smashed into his stomach, where the thinner, weaker armor was. If cloth and leather was even considered worthy armor at this point.

Needless to say, it hurt, and stole his breath away. And he swung out again, only to hit nothing as the warlock jumped back and... stayed back. This allowed Erunan to catch his breath a bit and try to block out the ache in his torso.

The warlock didn't want to just kill him, it wanted to toy with him. He was going to be some plaything of malicious intent only to have his life taken like so many others before him. That just made him... angry. So many lives needlessly lost for this 'fun'. It made him sick. How could the Great Machine choose a race that was so cruel?

There was a roar that echoed off of the walls as the Captain charged, golden cape flowing in his wake. He saw the warlock tense, and then it jumped to the side just in time to evade his attack from his primary arms. However he was well prepared, and one of his secondary limbs caught the robes that the guardian wore. Erunan yanked hard on the cloth, making the warlock stumble. Erunan swiftly turned, letting a fist connect with the warlock's helmet before he used what strength he could muster to slam it into the nearest wall.

The building shook under the force of the impact. He thought he heard the echoing cry of distress, or perhaps surprise, but that wasn't important as of right now. Instead his thoughts refocused on the fight as the warlock managed to grab onto his right primary arm, and there was a bit of a purple glow before-

There was another roar, but this one was of pure agony as the bone in his arm was split in two by the force of the warlock's void powers. This rendered his arm practically useless and he didn't get enough time to recover before a fist was smashed into his head. Erunan was quick to stumble away, raising another arm to block anymore blows to his head, but he wasn't prepared when the warlock dropped down, sweeping its legs into his and knocking him over. The captain landed on his back with a gasp, having the breath knocked out of him suddenly.

However he wasn't going to let this guardian win that easily, and he gave an angered snarl before rolling onto his stomach -avoiding what would have been a painful kick- and he used that momentum to shakily get to his feet and back into the fight. His stature didn't last long, though, and soon enough he was knocked back to the ground after taking two blasts of void energy directly to the chest. The blasts were enough to make him stumble back a good few feet before he landed on the ground, on his broken arm and that caused a pained groan to leave him.

Hardly a second later, a swift kick sent him rolling over and all that left him was a gasp as the breath was knocked out of him. But instantly his eyes were seeking his enemy, and he saw a boot raised up, ready to come down on his head. He wasn't going to allow that, and his undamaged primary arm shot up, grabbing the warlock by its leg and rolling so that the male was pulled over him and landed face first into the dirt.

Erunan saw that this stunned the guardian, and he used the precious few seconds that he had to get back to his feet and draw his shock blade. Heavy breaths pumped steam from his mask and Ether into his body while his adrenaline fought against the pain. The guardian only had enough time to turn and draw its own gun as Erunan lunged. His arm raised the sword, more than ready to end this and go back to the Lair, but he was suddenly halted when the end of the gun caught his shoulder, and a split second later, a stab of pain shot through him as two bullets were shot, tearing through flesh and bone and slinging blood onto the floor and wall behind him.

With his momentum lost, Erunan stumbled backwards, a hand clutching at the wound that now gushed blood onto his armor. His eyes fell onto the warlock when he heard the laughter, and a second later, yet another blast of purple energy sent him to the floor. The Captain's breaths came in gasps. He was losing strength too quickly, and the will to continue the fight was drained from him. He heard a faint cracking sound, and the warlock speaking words that he would never understand. Likely a taunt, judging from the tone. He looked up just in time to receive a kick to his head, sending his world into a spin. Then there were more kicks, two to the ribs, and a punch, another kick. By now he was only numb, and he was ready to just give in. He couldn't fight anymore.

But then his eyes opened, staring past the warlock and they caught something new. Two wide green eyes and a head of orange hair in a doorway as a smaller human watched the display. She was staring right at him, looking horrified. However in a fraction of a second, the look turned to anger and she shifted, moving to step into the room-

/

"I love how old these places are. You never know what kind of history you'll find. Right?"

Seraph nodded at the question, walking behind his friend as they explored the building. They both had heard the faint sounds of battle somewhere else before, but it was too far to really mind all that much. He just assumed it was, as suspected, another guardian. So they chose to let them to their business while Teira led the way through the building, and eventually to a certain room.

This room's floor had rotted away, caving in on itself so that very little around the edges of the old walls was all that was left. It left a couple of feet to skirt around the room and to the other side. Seraph stopped in the doorway with his friend and then turned his head downward to stare at her.

"I think we should find another way around, Teira. This doesn't look safe." He muttered, earning a scoff from her.

"You can find another way if you want, I'm going to go around." She stated, already moving into the room and onto the rotten wood. It creaked under even her weight, and he was powerless to stop her. And he stood still, fearing that his added weight would break the wood. She would cross first, and he would follow when she was safe.

However, something below created a loud crash. Dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling and the floor groaned from the shockwave of it. The groaning got louder and Teira stopped, hands on the old wall behind her. Then there was a snap, followed by a yelp as the human girl went plunging into the darkness below.

The call of her name was drowned out by a crash, so he called again: "Teira! Are you alright?!"

He was met with coughing, so she was alive at least. That put his mind at ease a little before she responded with an affirmative. She was okay. Bruised and stunned, but okay for the most part.

"Stay put, Teira!" He called, "I'm on my way!"

Meanwhile, Teira slowly stood from her downed position. Whoever had left, or put the old mattresses here were amazing in her books as she shifted to her feet and dusted off her rear. She was sure to have some bruising later, and her mother would scold her for not being careful, but she was still breathing at least. She heard the thudding footsteps of Seraph as he made to find the stairs that would lead to her floor, and as they faded away, a new sound came to her senses. It was the sound of a struggle, and there was no doubt about it.

Seraph had mentioned something about another guardian being nearby perhaps, and curiosity struck her. This caused her feet to move almost of their own accord, toward the sounds of the struggle. She found herself wandering down a hallway to a larger room further in. Part of the door was blocked by some rubble that she had to move out of her way to fit through, and she saw shadows moving inside another area.

She moved slowly, not wanting to make any noise as she approached an old rotten doorway that had long lost its respective door. She let a hand rest on the wall as she peeked around the corner. What she saw actually stunned her. An obvious warlock and a Fallen captain were battling and she looked just in time for a gun to go off, making her flinch as the blood from the captain was sprayed on all the surfaces behind him. She watched as he was beaten to the ground and even then the abuse continued.

And during the whole thing, the Captain's eyes opened, and they connected to hers. She watched. Was this really how guardians were supposed to act? She knew that they were at war with the Fallen, and she'd watched Seraph kill many of them before. But it had always been quick. Seraph had never tortured them like this warlock was right now. And judging by the way the alien's eyes sqinted, she could see the pain he was in. This wasn't how guardians should act, even if the fallen were the enemy! They were still sentient creatures.

She felt her features harden into a glare, already making up her mind as she stepped into the room, standing as tall as she could manage with her side arm in her hand, holding it so tight that her knuckles turned white. And before she could think twice, she shouted. A command, or a distraction at the very least. She wasn't going to stand for this!

"Stop!"


	3. Authors Notice

Alright, guys, I apologize for the huge delay between chapters but, I'm afraid the rewrite for INF is going to be cancelled. The plot itself is old, and my ideas for it are totally dry. Writing itself has been very hard for me lately, and I can't seem to be very happy with anything that relates to Teira and her adventures. I know a few people were excited to see this rewrite, how better it would be to read, but I can't seem to make myself write it anymore.

So for the time being, Teira and her friends are going to be put on the backburner until I can find the inspiration to write about them. I might crank out a few one-shots here and there, but otherwise, I'm going to try and shift my focus to something else instead. I have a bit of an idea for a Skyrim fanfic (not Twin Blades, mind you) and so once I figure out how to start it, I'll try to get back to posting on here as often as I can.

I'm sorry for those who may be disappointed about the rewrite. I did want to do it for a while but now that my life is a bit more chaotic, it's been harder and harder to sit down and write it. Not to mention my interest in Destiny as a whole is close to nonexistant. I'm hoping this will change once another update hits. Maybe another DLC or perhaps even the rumored Destiny 2 (hopefully) sometime this year.

Anyway, I apologize again for the delay in this, and I hope to get back to writing as soon as I can.

Much love!


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